New Construction Products November/December 2015 - Page 10

Mobile Barriers MBT-1,
the Perfect Tool
Called the “perfect tool” for various types of road, bridge
and tunnel work, the award winning Mobile Barriers
MBT-1 is receiving increasing accolades for improving worker safety and efficiency, while also helping to
improve the safety and mobility of passing traffic in and
around temporary work zones. With 5-foot-high walls and
integrated power, lighting, signage and TMA, the barrier
can be driven to site with no special setup. The barrier’s
storage areas and surface decks can be used to carry
tools, equipment, materials and supplies to and from the
jobsite. 30-foot cranes and scissor lifts are two of the newer options which can be added to assist crews. The MBT-1
has proven particularly efficient for various types of work
where protection has not traditionally been practical and
where setup/breakdown has sometimes taken longer
than the work itself. In some instances, crews are doing
in one night what had otherwise taken three to five. In the
DC area, crews have cut the time for certain types of ongoing work by 66 percent, with better response times and
productivity. In Colorado, crews have replaced 42 sticks
of guardrail in the time it normally takes to do six to eight
(one night). On Staten Island, they replaced bridge rail in
half the anticipated time. In each case, the barrier is simply driven to site, and from site to site, as needed. These
and other projects such as chip seal, pothole repairs, slab
replacement, ITS installations and maintenance, as well
as bridge and tunnel work (bridge joint, bridge deck,
tunnel maintenance and repairs), often involve discrete
work areas and multiple locations in a given day or night.
For such work, the barrier is particularly useful … and
what has been called “cheap insurance.” The barrier has
stopped a direct rear impact without damage (only the
TMA needed be replaced). On two occasions, the MBT-1
has turned and safely redirected semi-trucks with only
nominal damage.
www.mobilebarriers.com •
8
New Construction Products • Nov/Dec 2015